George Mason Patriots Tickets for Sale

Among the returning guards are juniors Tony Skinn and 6'-2' Lamar Butler (10 ppg), who each played a key role in helping Mason advance far into the National Invitation Tournament. Skinn proved to be a threat from beyond the arc as well as the inside, averaging 8.2 points per game and grabbing 2.1 rebounds per contest. He scored a career-best 27 points in the semifinals of the CAA Tournament and averaged 19.3 points for the championships.

Backcourt depth is provided by sophomores Gabe Norwood, Tim Burns and Charles Makings. Three newcomers, John Vaughan, Jordan Carter and Folarin Campbell, will also have key roles in Larranaga's guard-oriented system.

The frontcourt is as thin as the backcourt is deep. The frontcourt has 275-lb junior 6'-7' Jai Lewis (14 ppg, 7 rpg), who led the team in scoring and rebounding. Sophomore 6'-7' Jesus Urbina and 6'-7' freshman Will Thomas will vie for time. George Mason was 16-1 SU/12-4 ATS at home and 7-9 SU/7-8 ATS on the road. There is plenty of talent and youth on this well coached team.

Head coach Jim Larranaga runs a fine program. He owns a 123-84 overall record in seven campaigns at the Patriots' helm and is 321-253 in 20 collegiate seasons. They are off a terrific 23-10 season (12-6 CAA), but George Mason will have a different team this campaign having graduated four seniors.

The George Mason Patriots have no seniors, but they are very good defensively, holding opponents to 63.8 ppg at home. 'On the court, we will continue to stress defense,' said Larranaga. 'We want to be consistent with our defensive pressure, placing the emphasis on forcing an up-tempo game and creating turnovers. We believe we have the experience and personnel to generate opportunities for ourselves as long as we focus on playing great defense.' The defense helped George Mason go 13-3 UNDER the total last season.